Wear OS smartwatches get handwashing timer on Google Clock

While we’re still waiting for a vaccine against the coronavirus, one of the best ways we can protect ourselves is by consent hand-washing. Well, we should always be washing our hands with or without a pandemic, but some people either forget or consider it a bother. But now that it can actually mean life or death, people are paying close attention to this hygienic habit. Wear OS users can now find a handwashing timer on their smartwatch through Google Clock.

The recommended time for washing your hands with soap is 20 seconds. But the new feature on Google Clock for Wear OS smartwatches has a timer for 40 seconds, just to be sure. It is called Hand-Wash Timer and you’ll see a shortcut in the app drawer, along side your other shortcuts like Google Pay, Flashlight, etc. When you tap the shortcut with the hands icon, it will bring up the timer itself.

As we said, the timer is set for 40 seconds, but there’s a 3-second countdown before it starts. There is a progress ring around the display so you also have another visual representation of your countdown. You can tap the x button anytime, so if you feel like the 20 seconds are enough for you to clean your hands and you don’t need to finish the whole 40, just tap on the x. The app will also remind you every 3 hours to wash your hands.

Just in case you haven’t realized it yet, handwashing is more than just running your hands through water. The CDC recommends a Wet-Lather-Scrub-Rinse-Dry technique to make sure that your hands will be coronavirus-free (hopefully). It’s something you need for your own personal hygiene and to protect the people around you as well.

Update your Wear OS device to enjoy this new hand wash timer. You need to manually start the timer so you do need to wash your hands after. And if your device has an IP rating, give it a little wash every once in a while as well.